ALIDA'S SONG
by Gary Paulsen
Dell Yearling/Random House
ISBN: 0440414741
Ages 10-up
96 pages

"This fourteenth summer started the same way and would have continued the same way except that in the first week after school was out he received a letter from his grandmother."

So begins the "boy's" summer with his grandmother on a small farm in Minnesota. This summer really would be something special and a far cry from the hard life with his drinking parents. "The boy," as Gary Paulsen calls himself in this semi-autobiographical story, finds himself absorbed in farm life. He learns to love the two bachelor brothers, Gunnar and Olaf, who employ his grandmother as their cook and regard her in the highest esteem. He learns to appreciate his grandmother's gentle but firm love.

In the rigorous day-to-day life he learns the danger of a flock of geese, how to milk cows, clean barns, groom horses, gather eggs, and on and on. It is a full life, with laughing and hard work. This is one of the summers he remembers fondly and knows, as an older man, that it was his grandmother's special gift of life to him.

The summer ends, but not before he shares a dance with his Grandmother Alida. They dance to a song written and played by Gunnar and Olaf in memory of "Alida and Clarence." It is a special moment to always be replayed in "the boy's" bank of memories.

This little gem of a book is termed a "companion" to THE COOKCAMP. While these two books can be read by themselves, together they are even more powerful. Paulsen's portrayal of the adult world through the eyes of a boy is both moving and poignant. This is an easy, quick read that will have appeal for readers of all ages.

   --- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts (stibbetts@maine207west.k12.il.us)

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